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the events within the context of a compre- hensive pre- and post-visit program.’ That’s the thinking behind Bell Shake- speare Education’s online Teachers’ Kits that accompany each program. The kits contain pre- and post-excursion or incur- sion activities that can easily be distributed and used in class, as well as additional online resources such as podcasts and a dis- cussion board on which students can post their ideas, ask questions and enter discus- sion about Shakespeare and the perform- ances they’ve seen. It’s also the thinking behind venues like Sydney Olympic Park, the Museum of Australia in Canberra and the National Gallery of Victoria, which have wonder- ful interactive technologies onsite for stu- dents to engage with, in addition to online resources that can be accessed before and after an excursion. It goes without saying that practitioners going into schools also need to be prepared. A school incursion, as Lance Hawkins from HunterChristianSchool inNewSouthWales, points out, can be a tough gig. ‘If you can win a school audience,’ says Hawkins, ‘you can win anyone!’ The school audience is possi- bly the harshest a practitionerwill encounter. Children say what they think, and if they’re prepared for the activity they will have par- ticular expectations. It’s hugely rewarding, though, for students, the practitioner and teachers when everyone is prepared. Students google everything and expect instantaneous information, but while online resources are imperative, students also learn by actual physical experience. As my pri- mary school teacher used to say, ‘Use what you know to fi nd out what you don’t know.’ It’s always a joy to hear about students doing just this. One student was so inspired by his teacher winning a Bell Shakespeare Regional Teacher Scholarship that was supported by the government that he took it upon himself to write to the Minister for Education ask- ing for funding for a course he wanted to attend in the school holidays – and he got the support! After an Actors At Work incursion some students had considered and discussed their experience and wrote on the discussion board that they’d decided they would rather do Shakespeare than Monty Python in their English class. Students learn to think and develop into young adults through their schooling, and the connections to the ‘out- side’ world they build through the experi- ence of excursions and incursions are vital components of their development. T Linda Lorenza is the Head of Education for Bell Shakespeare and a former class- room teacher. Picture courtesy of Bell Shakespeare. LINKS: www.bellshakespeare.com.au/ education REFERENCES Brickell, G. & Herrington, J. (2004). Learner challenges and situated learning: Engaging students at Sydney Olympic Park. Wollongong: ASCILITE. Esquith, R. (2007). Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire: The methods and madness inside Room 56. New York: Viking. Vygotsky, L.S. (1980). Mind in Society. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. FURTHER READING Duffi cy, P. (2005). Designing Learning for Diverse Classrooms. Sydney: PETA. feature – excursions & incursions 25